


The Void

by momiji_neyuki



Series: The Shadow Side [9]
Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Drunk Driving, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Loss, M/M, No Gerard Does Not Die From One, Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 17:35:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7854592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momiji_neyuki/pseuds/momiji_neyuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <b>Through the void, through the void, through the endless void!</b>
  <br/>
  <b>I'll march on and on and on and on without you!</b>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Void

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> So this is it! The last of the Shadow Side series! I can't believe I made it! ^-^
> 
> So this chapter is about a lot of loss. It takes place in the future and Frank loses everyone around him, starting with Gerard,. It shows how much he has changed though and it is really a bitter sweet ending. ^-^
> 
> Thank you to everyone that read the series and commented on it! ^-^
> 
> Please enjoy.

_***Time Stamp: Thirty Years Later***_

”Hey, Frankie.”

Frank opened the door and saw his brother in law. He gave a worn smile.

”Hey, Mikey, come on in.”

Mikey walked in and took off his coat and unwrapped the scarf from his head. He kept the beanie on though. Frank led him to the table and poured him a cup of coffee.

”How you holding up?”

”It’s rough some days, some better than others.”

”It’s only been a month, no one expects you to jump right back into life, but if it makes you feel better, you are handling things better than Vera is.”

”Well I can understand that. She felt like she had gotten Tabby back but in the form of the son. I always said it was sweet of Donna to share Gee with her.”

”I talked to Bob, he said he will be here next week.”

”Yeah, we are going to hang out and do old people shit.”

”You mean playing chess in the park?”

”Fuck no, we are going to sit there and drink coffee and complain about what the young people are wearing these days.”

Mikey laughed and then reached out and touched Frank’s shoulder.

”He would be proud of you, you know.”

”Yeah, I know.”

**This ship has crashed**

**We burn down the past**

**Like ghost-drifted ash**

After Mikey left, Frank went in the living room and picked up the photo album he had been looking at. So many memories crammed into it. Gerard had taken up scrapbooking after the first year they were together.

_”We need to preserve the memories for future generations.”_

_”Gee, unless you plan on growing a uterus we are not having any kids.”_

_”You never know, Frankie, modern science can be pretty amazing.”_

Frank chuckled at Gerard when he said that. He didn’t know that his job at the recovery center would yield a friendship with a scared pregnant teenage mom named Amy. She wanted to give up her baby but not to people who would hurt them. After months of trying to figure it out, Amy fell sick. She fought to carry her child, by then they knew it was a girl, to term even though she knew it would be her death. She only had a few hours after the birth of a healthy baby girl named Aria Jane to fill out a living will stating that Frank would take the child. She knew that he and Gerard would make great parents. Gerard took to the girl right away and it was soon that Aria’s pictures joined his and Gerard’s in the scrapbooks. Frank turned the page and saw a picture of Gerard holding Aria at the zoo. Frank had taken the shot of her reaching out to touch a giraffe that bent its head down to her. Gerard was smiling brightly.

**Your photograph**

**Is all that will last**

**There's no turning back**

”She misses you so much, Gee. I do to.”

He felt a tear roll down his cheek as his phone rang. From the ring tone he knew it was Aria. He got up, grabbed a cigarette, and headed to the porch to talk to her and find out the latest on their grandson.

_***Time Stamp: Two Years Later***_

”She was a good woman.”

”She was.”

”You gonna be okay, Frankie?”

”Yeah, Mikey, I’ll be fine.”

”I’ll call you tomorrow.”

”Thanks.”

Frank hugged his brother in law and then headed inside. He sat on the sofa and wiped more tears from his eyes. First his husband and now Vera. Vera took Gerard’s death hard and over the past year she had deteriorated. When it got bad she had to go into a home. Frank visited her every week, but he could see that she just wanted to let go. Even seeing Blake was not enough anymore. Finally Frank just explained to Aria that it was not a good idea to bring the boy around anymore. She understood, but still insisted to visit to the end. When the end came no one was surprised. Her ceremony was bigger than Gerard’s with the company she owned. It was passed to Gerard, which meant it went to Frank. Frank passed it to Aria and her husband. He was not young enough for a competitive business like that. He knew he made the right decision. He was mostly retired now, but he still went down to the recovery center to make sure everything was running smoothly.

**Now I'm all alone**

**The future unknown**

**Got nowhere to go**

”So many memories.”

Frank got up to make himself something to eat. He didn’t have to cook for a while. He had lots of casseroles that were in the freezer and a few in the fridge. Death often made you tired and everyone wanted to show Frank how much they cared and he is Italian after all. His own mom called to see how he is doing. She could not make it to the funeral due to her own failing health, but Frank was not as worried about her. She still had his dad. Frank heated up one of the dishes, he thought it has spinach in it, and then headed to Gerard’s and his art room to eat and go over the latest scrapbook.

*

*

*

”Are you sure, Dad?”

”Yes, sweetheart, it is good for both of your careers. Expanding is what companies do.”

”Yes, but California…”

”Is only a plane ride away, now stop.”

”Alright, Dad, I’ll call you when we get back and let you know the finalized plains.”

”Give Blake a kiss for Grandpa.”

”I will. Love you, Dad.”

”Love you, Aribear.”

Frank hung up and sighed. He knew this would happen even if she didn’t. Aria and her husband were great business partners and he knew the company would grow beyond what Vera had made of it. Now they were expanding to the West coast and Aria said her husband thought it was best to move there to oversee the fledgling company. Frank agreed even though Aria did not like moving so far away. In the end though, they were going.

**Now I'm all alone**

**The future unknown**

**Got nowhere to go**

_***Time Stamp: Five Years Later***_

”Frankie.”

”Hey, kid, how you feeling?”

”I’m dying, how the fuck do you think I’m feeling?”

Frank laughed and used his cane to walk over to Mikey’s hospital bed. He sat down in the visitor’s chair.

”No remission this time, huh?”

”Nope, this time it’s happening.”

”Are you gonna stay in the hospital?”

”Nah, who wants to die here?”

”I see, you’re gonna get a cute live in nurse that will give you sponge baths and blow you once in a while.”

”Yup, living the high life.”

They both laughed till Mikey’s turned into coughing and Frank was up patting his back. Mikey had tears in his eyes from the effort to stop.

”Man, when did we turn old?”

”I’ve always been old. I thought you and Gee were vampires.”

”Maybe Gee but not me.”

”So when are you leaving?”

”Couple of days. They have to set the house up with everything.”

”You already have a nurse?”

”Yeah, Lindsey offered to be there full time.”

”I like her, she took good care of you when you were here a few times.”

”Yeah.”

”Sorry, Mr. Iero, it’s time for Mr. Way to have a few tests.”

”No problem. Mikey, I’ll see you when you get home.”

”Catch you later, Frankie.”

**But I'll survive, the loneliest nights**

**Won't give up the fight**

”I wish I had a better explanation for you, Mr. Iero .”

”It’s alright. We knew it was bad, but he was so sure he would make it home again.”

”We are sorry for your loss.”

”Thank you.”

Frank hung up the phone and sighed. He called the funeral home and made sure that Michael Way’s death plans were moved up. Everything was paid for already for a few years now; since Mikey was diagnosed. He was just a planner, it was nothing morbid. Gerard would have flipped if he were alive when Michael made the plans. Once Frank got off the phone, he Facetimed Aria and told her the news of her uncle. She cried and Frank wished he was there to hold her. She said she would be at the funeral. He blew her kisses and told her how much he loved her and then he called Bob.

*

*

*

”Hey, how you holding up?”

”I’m alright, thanks for coming.”

”Us old men have to stick together, right?”

Frank hugged Bob. He was grateful for his friendship all these years. They moved into the living room and Frank got them some ice coffee. The air conditioner is busted, but it is not too hot today, so the fan is working while he saw if it can be repaired or he had to buy a new one.

”I’m thinking of moving.”

”Back to Chicago?”

”Yeah.”

”You should. Spend time with your mom before it’s too late.”

”I can’t believe the old bat is still kicking.”

”I know! I mean everyone else is dying or dead, but she…”

Frank choked up a bit.

”…she’s still healthy as a horse.”

Bob looked at Frank and put an arm around him.

”You’ll be okay, Frankie.”

”I know.”

**Through the void, through the void, through the endless void!**

**I'll march on and on and on and on without you!**

*

*

*

December was cold. Another year had gone by and he still lived. Frank decided that retirement was not for him so he opened up a little shop where he could keep busy. It was not super busy, but it was enough. He didn’t need the money to live on, so he donated it to the recovery center. They decided to name the place after him for his efforts, but instead he named it after Gerard. The Way Recovery Center now had one of the best percentages in the city for helping addicts of all kinds to get back on track in life. They helped to find homes and temp jobs. Also to help people gain skills so that they could work in different fields. Frank knew Gerard and Mikey would have been proud.

”Merry Christmas, guys.”

Frank saluted a glass of sparkling cider to a picture of him, Mikey and Gerard on their 5th anniversary. He found some videos that they made and was watching them on a random Christmas after they got Aria. It looked like she was about five or six.

**Hear the voice, hear the voice, of the hearts destroyed!**

**I'll march on and on and on and on without you!**

_”I wanna open this one!”_

_”It’s so small though, wouldn’t you rather open the bigger ones first?”_

_”No, Unca Mikey, just cause its big, duddn’t mean it’s better.”_

Frank laughed at the child putting Mikey in his place. Gerard was laughing too. His voice was beautiful and Frank missed it very much.

_”Daddy Gee, can you sing for us?”_

_”Do you want a silly song or a serious one?”_

Frank watched Aria think about it.

_”Sing one you used to sing with Daddy Frankie.”_

Frank zoomed in on Gerard’s face at that moment. He was so beautiful.

**And I'll keep singing our song, 'till tomorrow**

_”I’ll have a blue Christmas without you. I’ll be so blue thinking about you. Decorations of white, on a green Christmas tree, won’t mean a thing, if you’re not here with me.”_

Frank felt his tears falling as he watched himself put down the camera and walk over and hug his husband. Gerard kept singing as he circled his arms around him. Aria moved over to Mikey and sat on his lap swaying to the sound of her daddy’s voice.

_”You’ll be doing alright, with your Christmas of white…”_

”But I’ll have a blue, blue, blue, blue Christmas.”

Frank joined in the last line and the video ended with them kissing and Aria saying, “Eeeew, Unca Mikey, don’t look.”. Frank turned the video and off and got ready for bed.

**The emptiness**

**It kills like a kiss**

**The violent abyss**

_***Time Stamp: Four Years Later***_

”Daddy.”

”Come here, Aribear.”

Frank’s daughter ran into his arm. She was a mess and shaking.

”I don’t know what to do. I don’t have any answers for Blake. He’s so angry.”

”Let me try and talk to him.”

Frank left Aria in the living room and headed down the hall to his grandson’s room. The door was covered in signs of ‘DO NOT ENTER’. Frank knocked.

”Go away, Ma.”

”Art?”

There was silence and then the door opened. Frank saw his grandson walk away from the door and then sit on the bed again. He was gripping one of the stuffed animals Gerard gave him long ago. Frank walked in and sat down carefully on the bed.

”Drinking is stupid enough, why do people do it when they are driving?”

”I don’t know, man. I know I was stupid and used to do it too though.”

”Did you ever hit anyone with your car?”

Blake looked up at Frank. Frank sighed. Even though there was no blood relation, somehow, Blake looked like Gerard. Aria gave him Gerard’s middle name and both Frank and Gerard called him Art affectionately.

”No, but I did other stupid things when I drank.”

”Like what?”

Frank realized that Blake wasn’t ready to talk about his dad yet.

”Like yell, and hit walls. I also broke a lot of stuff.”

”Did you ever hit anyone…like with your fist?”

”Yeah, I did.”

”Was it Grandpa Gee?”

Frank took a deep breath. The kid had a right to know.

”I did more than just drink back then. I was on drugs too. I was always angry and I took it out on your Grandpa Gee a lot.”

”That must of hurt him.”

”It did and it hurt me too when I realized I did it, but I just kept doing it till I hurt him so badly he ended up in the hospital.”

”Uncle Mikey must have wanted to kill you.”

Frank laughed.

”He did. He really did.”

”So how did you end up with Grandpa in the end then?”

”Well…I went through a lot of problems after he left me and I did more stupid things.”

”Like what?”

Frank was about to answer when Aria opened the door.

”Sorry, guys. Dad, it’s Mrs. Bryar.”

Frank took the phone and listened. He nodded a lot and then hung up.

”What happened, Dad?”

”Bob died. He went to take a nap but then never woke up.”

”Oh, Daddy, I’m sorry.”

”Is that going to happen to Dad too?”

Frank looked and saw Blake trembling. He hugged his grandson.

”I don’t think so, sweetheart. Your dad is young and strong. He will make it through surgery and be alright. Bob was old like me.”

”You’re not old, Grandpa.”

Frank laughed.

”I’m older than you think.”

”Are you flying out for the funeral?”

”Yeah, I should go pack. I’ll call you when I get my flight plan.”

Frank kissed the top of Blake’s head and then rose. He hugged and kissed his daughter’s cheek and then left.

**Farewell again**

**We've come to an end**

**I'll miss you my friend**

”That was a lovely elegy you said, Frank, thank you.”

”Thank you for letting me say something.”

”You were his best friend.”

”I’ll call you when I land.”

”Thank you, Frank.”

He hugged Bob’s mom one more time and then headed to check in for his flight.

*

*

*

Frank was tired. He was feeling his age. He closed the shop and headed home.

”Blake.”

When Frank opened the door to his home his grandson was on his sofa.

”Sorry, Grandpa. I’ll fix the window, I just had to…”

Frank walked over to him. He sat down, but he didn’t hug the boy. He knew better.

”Wanna tell me about it?”

”Mom is a mess. She comes home drunk all the time now. I didn’t want to see her like that.”

Frank sighed.

”Did she say anything?”

”She was bitching about Dad and how if he was not such a workaholic he would not have gotten hit.”

”You know she is probably freaking out that you are gone.”

”I doubt it. She’s been drunk every day this week.”

”Where did you get the money to fly?”

”I…I used one of Dad’s credit cards. I don’t think he would be mad at me though.”

Frank could see the boy starting to lose it. Now Frank opened his arms and let him fall in.

”Being fifteen sucks.”

”I know. I was fifteen once too. I’ll talk to your mom.”

”Can I stay here for a while?”

”What about school?”

”Winter break?”

”It’s Spring.”

”Oh…spring break?”

Frank laughed and ruffled his hair.

”Go use your mom’s old room.”

”Thanks, Grandpa.”

Blake kissed him on the cheek and then left. Frank watched him go and then turned to the task of dealing with his daughter.

_***Time Stamp: One Year Later***_

**We fail, we fall**

**But just keep walking through it all**

**Got to face another day**

”Hey, Grandpa.”

”Hey, Art, how was school?”

”Alright, I got a small part in the spring play.”

”Nice job.”

”It’s nothing big, but I get to work with Marissa and Jake.”

”Marissa and Jake huh? Would this be the Marissa and Jake that…”

”Don’t start please. He loves her, I know that.”

”Art, you guys are only sixteen. I know that high school romances are possible, I know I had one, but they are rare and one day…”

”No, I don’t want to think like that. They are happy and it makes me happy.”

”Alright, hey how about I make us a snack and you can tell me about this part?”

**You're here, you're gone**

**But I had to move along**

**'Till the darkness starts to fade**

_***Time Stamp: Two years Later***_

”How are you feeling, Grandpa?”

”I’m old.”

Blake laughed over the phone.

”Is everything in order?”

”Yeah, I should be coming home soon.”

”I’m sorry you had to deal with all this.”

”She was my daughter so it was my responsibility.”

”Is it wrong that I am not bothered as much as I should be?”

”He was in a coma for three years, Art. You had to deal with your mother’s drinking and then her overdose. It was hard enough for you and you turned out wonderful.”

”Thanks, Grandpa.”

”Are you going to come to the funeral?”

”I don’t know yet.”

”That’s fair. I’ll let you know when my flight gets in.”

”Love you, Grandpa.”

”Love you too, Art.”

**Won't give up the fight ...**

_***Time Stamp: Two Years Later***_

”Frank Iero was a great man…well that’s not completely true. He started out a great man and then he became an abusive asshole.”

Some of the crowd gasped and then there were murmurs. Blake help up his hand and continued.

”I know, you are all shocked that I said this, but in his will he said he wanted everyone to know the truth. In his high school years, he fell in love with a girl named Tabitha. They were a story book romance that did not have a happy ending. He described it as a _beautiful pain_. When she passed Frank poured himself into a bottle for many years. He then added drugs to that mix. Then he met Gerard Way. Poor Gerard had no idea what had happened to Frank. He was intrigued when instead of Frank trying out the same old lines on him, he told Gerard _we don’t have to dance_. Frank said Gerard gave him the biggest smile and that was it. Gerard fell in love with a broken man that he did not know he could never fix. Still Gerard never believed that _love was meant to break_ so he kept trying. Alcohol, drugs, and abuse fueled their relationship till one day, Frank tried to _break the halo_ around Gerard and it almost killed him. Gerard then left and Frank finally realized what he had and lost. When he tried to talk to Gerard about it, Gerard told him he had enough and that nothing was going to _drown him out_ anymore. He had moved on with someone else. Frank saw this and decided that Gerard was better off without him along with the world. Fortunately before he could do anything truly rash, Gerard convinced him to _put the gun down_ and _stay alive_. Frank did just that and he and Gerard restarted their friendship and eventually their relationship. They had a little girl who eventually had me. My grandfather survived losing almost everyone he loved. He learned to cope and help those around him cope.”

Blake took a second, feeling himself getting choked up.

”I know when my mom died of her overdose and we eventually had to make the decision to take my dad off life support after three years of almost no brain activity, he was there for me. He took me in even at the age of almost 80 and he helped me get through high school and even have the courage to ask my now fiancé out. Frank has done so much for so many and now, we honor his memory.”

The congregation stood and said their own silent prayers. Then Blake left the podium and crossed to Jake. He hugged him tightly.

”You did so good, baby.”

”Thank you. After the funeral, can we go get pancakes?”

”Chocolate chip?”

”Is there any other kind?”

They hugged again as they led the way out of the church to the limo that would take Frank to his final resting place next to Gerard.

**How can I carry on, carry on without you?**


End file.
